How to Create a Group and Draw Names — Step-by-Step
Everything about running a gift exchange on secret.gift: from creating the room to the moment everyone learns who they're gifting. The whole flow takes about two minutes of real work.
1. Create the room
Click “Start a gift exchange” and fill the short form: group name (e.g. “Marketing Secret Santa 2026”), an optional description and gift budget, and your own name.
Pick the occasion style (Secret Santa, St. Nicholas or plain Gift Exchange) — it changes the wording on every page — and the draw mode: SECRET (each person sees only their giftee) or OPEN (the full pair list is visible to the group). Both can be changed until the draw.
2. Save your two passwords
After creating you land in the group dashboard with a one-time card showing two passwords: the ORGANIZER password (manage the group, run the draw) and your PARTICIPANT password (your personal access).
Both are saved automatically on your device — you'll find the group on the homepage under “Your groups” and behind the gift icon in the header. Still, copy them somewhere safe and never share the organizer password.
3. Invite everyone with one link
Copy the invite link from the dashboard and drop it into your chat — office, family or Discord. Everyone joins with just their name, no email, and gets their own password.
If someone loses the link, they can enter the group code (shown in the dashboard) on the Join page. People can join until the moment you draw.
4. Wishlists and delivery addresses
Each participant fills a wishlist (ideas, sizes, hobbies — anything that helps) and, for remote exchanges, a delivery address.
Privacy is built in: nobody sees the content of anyone else's wishlist or address — the group only sees completion badges. After the draw, only your gifter sees your wishlist and address.
5. Run the draw
When the list is complete, hit “Draw names”. Check the participant stats first — the dashboard shows how many wishlists and addresses are filled.
If you as the organizer don't participate, tick “Exclude organizer” before drawing. The confirmation dialog reminds you whether the draw will be secret or open. Important: the draw runs ONCE — the participant list is locked afterwards.
6. The reveal
Every participant opens the group with their password and taps the gift box — it bursts open with the name, wishlist and address of their person. In open mode the full “who gives to whom” list also appears for everyone.
Nobody can draw themselves, and in secret mode even the organizer can't see the pairs.
7. Lost a password?
Check the homepage on the device you used — groups are saved there automatically. If that fails, the organizer can generate a new password for any participant from the dashboard (works after the draw too, and doesn't reveal any pairs).
Have the password but lost the link? Use the “Check status” page — the password alone opens your group.
8. Tips from practice
Agree the budget before inviting — it shows on every participant's screen. Put the gift-exchange date into the group description.
For remote teams ask everyone to fill delivery addresses before the draw — the stats chips make it easy to chase stragglers. If someone joined twice, remove the duplicate before drawing.